News

Radio Jade from Wilhelmshaven launches on DAB+ digital radio and significantly expands its reach. Until now, Radio Jade has only been available in and around Wilhelmshaven on the FM frequency 87.8 MHz. From 1 October 2025, the station will significantly expand its technical reach via DAB+ digital radio. Radio Jade will then be available via the ‘NI Nordsee 11A’ multiplex on channel 11A. The bouquet is currently broadcast by the Aurich transmitter in East Frisia with a transmission power of 8 kW. A repeater transmitter with an output of 200 watts is also planned for Wilhelmshaven. With the launch of DAB+, Radio Jade can be heard via DAB+ in large parts of north-western Germany, from the Dutch border to Bremerhaven.

At the IBC conference in Amsterdam last week, WorldDAB demonstrated the new DAB+ Automatic Safety Alerts (ASA) system. Explaining the enhanced feature for DAB Radios, Lindsay Cornell, Principal Systems Architect at the BBC and Chair of the WorldDAB Technical Committee explained that the receivers are geosensitive so that they will know where they are and only wake up if the emergency is in their location. “We developed a standard with the greatest functionality across all receivers… they are certified through a testing lab,” said Cornell. “The new ASA enabled receivers are coming into the shops over the next few months, showing the speed that the industry is reacting to the new standard and producing new receivers.”

A few of Santa’s helpers let me know that ARN‘s DAB+ Elf Radio station appeared fresh from the North Pole yesterday reminding us all that is it just 13 weeks (!!) till Christmas. Those sleigh bells are jangling, drummers have starting drumming and the scent of frankincense and myrrh is beginning to waft in the air. All your non stop Christmas favourites are there with a guarantee to be knocked out of Whamageddon on December 1.

In the run-up to the expiry in 2026 of the licences for the operation of the two oldest nationwide transmitter networks for digital terrestrial television in Austria, the media authority KommAustria is updating its digitisation concept. The ‘Digitalisation Concept 2025’ is an official regulation that will come into force on 10 October 2025 and serves to introduce, expand and further develop digital broadcasting. The inclusion of the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) emergency warning system for DAB+ radio devices in the digitisation concept is of particular importance to consumers. Now that the world's largest chip manufacturer for DAB+ radios has integrated the ASA standard into its production, ASA-enabled DAB+ radios will quickly become widespread and are easily recognisable by the ASA logo on the packaging.

Audio Time is a "state of the nation" report on UK audio consumption, drawing on insights from the RAJAR Audio survey, known as MIDAS. It notes that DAB is the largest platform for live radio listening, accounting for 48% of hours. FM/AM now makes up just 19%. Reviewing the last decade, the report states: "In 2015, 86% of all live radio listening was still through a radio set itself, with AM/FM the single biggest platform, accounting for 52% of listening. Ten years on, that picture has changed significantly. DAB has now overtaken AM/FM which has reduced to 19% of all listening. With almost a half of all listening on DAB and a further third on some form of connected device, this means that UK radio is now overwhelmingly a digital medium."

Unity 101 Community Radio is now broadcasting on DAB in Winchester. The Southampton-based station, run entirely by volunteers, has been on air for nearly 20 years, serving the city's Asian and ethnic communities, and now reaches across Hampshire and parts of Dorset. Station manager Ram Kalyan, known as Kelly, said: "Unity 101’s motto is for the community, to the community, by the community. "We’ve always been about giving local people a platform - and that includes you. Whether you're a listener, a local hero, or a small business owner, there’s a place for you on our airwaves." Unity 101 broadcasts in ten languages, including English, and provides full radio training for volunteers.

Lincs Sound is marking Lincolnshire Day on Wednesday 1 October by launching on DAB digital radio across the county. The station, which began broadcasting online on 30 June, will now be available to more listeners with the reach of DAB. Commercial Director James Footitt said the move represents a major step forward. He explained: “Going live on DAB is a huge milestone for Lincs Sound. It means even more listeners can enjoy our great mix of music, local voices and community spirit. It opens up some fantastic opportunities for local businesses to connect with our audience.” Programme Director Katie Trinder added: “Lincolnshire is at the heart of everything we do, so going live on DAB on Lincolnshire Day feels like the perfect way to celebrate our county and give listeners even more ways to tune in.”

The first reports are already coming in to the editorial office: car radios have started to automatically tune into RADIO CLUB 103 on DAB+, the new digital technology that is revolutionising radio listening. The channel, which has just been activated, is gradually extending its coverage to the entire Veneto region, allowing anyone to tune in without interference and with superior audio quality. This is an important step for the historic Belluno-based broadcaster, which now reaches the entire region from the heart of the Dolomites, ready to entertain, inform and keep listeners company wherever they are.

The future of digital radio seems paradoxical: less bandwidth, but better sound quality. Thanks to new signal processing techniques, two radio stations can now share the same capacity of one station without the listener experiencing any loss of quality. This innovation saves costs, makes more efficient use of capacity and, surprisingly, also benefits older radios. Nico Silvius, director and owner of NLRADIO in Sneek, provides digital distribution for dozens of radio stations. He explains that many smaller broadcasters in the Netherlands have little financial leeway. ‘With the exception of the large national commercial stations, most stations are simply struggling. Everyone is looking for high-quality solutions that cost as little as possible. That forces us to be innovative.’

On September 15, 2025, NBTC Chairman Air Chief Marshal Dr. Thanapan Harijaroen presided over the opening ceremony of a training session on technical knowledge related to the digital radio broadcasting process for 2025. This training aimed to prepare radio broadcasting operators and NBTC staff members with essential technical knowledge and understanding of the digital radio broadcasting process, equipment inspection and certification, and related announcements and regulations. This training will serve as a crucial starting point for developing and elevating Thailand's radio broadcasting industry to international competitiveness. The training took place at the Best Western Hotel, Chatuchak, Bangkok.